CHAP. V. CAPTAIN PERRY. 71 



jilxmt 100 feet wide; and a lake more than a mile 

 and a half in extent was formed inside the line of the 

 river embankment. Above a thousand acres of rich lands 

 were spoiled for all useful purposes, and by the scouring 

 of the waters out and in at every tide, about a hundred 

 and twenty acres were completely washed away. The 

 soil was carried into the channel of the Thames, where 

 it formed a bank of about a mile in length, reaching 

 halfway across the river. This state of things could 

 not be allowed to continue, for the navigation of the 

 Thames was seriously interrupted by the obstruction, and 

 there was no knowing where the mischief would stop. 



Various futile attempts were made by the adjoining 

 landowners to stem the breach. They filled old ships 

 with chalk and stones, and had them scuttled and sunk 

 in the hole, throwing in baskets of chalk and earth 

 outside them, together with bundles of straw and hay 

 to stop up the interstices ; but when the full tide rose, 

 it washed them away like so many chips, and the open- 

 ing was again bored clean through. Then the expedient 

 was tried of sinking into the hole gigantic trunks made 

 expressly for the purpose, fitted tightly together, and 

 filled with chalk. Power was obtained to lay an em- 

 bargo on the cargoes of chalk and ballast contained 

 in passing ships, for the purpose of filling these ma- 

 chines, as well as damming up the gap ; and as many 

 as from ten to fifteen freights of chalk a day were 

 thrown in, but without effect. One day when the tide 

 was on the turn, the force of the water lifted one of the 

 monster trunks sheer up from the bottom, when it 

 toppled round, the lid opened, out fell the chalk, and, 

 righting again, the immense box floated out into the 

 stream and down the river. One of the landowners 

 interested in the stoppage ran along the bank, and 

 shouted out at the top of his voice " Stop her ! oh stop 

 her!" But the unwieldy object being under no guid- 

 ance was carried down stream towards the shipping 



